Rajinikanth Recalls Vettaiyan Co-star Big B's Financial Crisis Days: Whole Bollywood Was Laughing

Rajinikanth attended the audio launch of Vettaiyan on Friday, September 20, where he spoke about his co-star Amitabh Bachchan at length. He recounted Big B's severe financial difficulties in the 1990s when his company AB Corporation went bankrupt and how he bounced back. Calling him an "inspiration," Rajinikanth lauded Big B's dedication towards his work even at the age of 82. For the unversed, Vettaiyan marks the reunion of Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan after 33 years. In the movie, Big B plays the role of Sathyadev, a senior of Rajinikanth's character.

'He is 82 years old, and he is working for 10 hours a day'

According to Pinkvilla, Rajinikanth shared that back in the 90s when Amitabh Bachchan was producing movies, he went into a huge loss so much so that he had to auction his Juhu house. However, writing three years he was able to bounce back. He not only bought back his Juhu house but also three others on the same street. "Back when Amit Ji was producing films, he went into a huge loss. He was not even able to pay his watchman and even had to put his Juhu home for public auction. Even Bollywood was laughing at him, but in three years, he did ads, hosted KBC (Kaun Banega Crorepati), and earned money so much so... he bought back his Juhu home along with three others in the same street.”

The superstar continued that Amitabh Bachchan is an "inspiration". He is 82 years old and is still working for 10 hours a day. He further addressed Big B's influential background and how despite being the son of veteran writer, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, he made to the top on his own.

Amitabh Bachchan opens up about Rajinikanth's simplicity

While Big B was not present at the audio launch, he made his presence felt through AV screen. Just like Rajinikanth, Big B praised the former calling him the "supreme of all stars". He recalled the time during the shoot of Hum in 1991 and said, "I used to rest in my AC vehicle while shooting for Hum and Rajini slept on the floor during break. Watching him be so simple I came out of the vehicle and rest outside."

Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth have worked together in several Bollywood movies, including Andha Kanoon, Geraftaar and Hum.

What do we know about Vettaiyan?

Directed by TJ Gnanavel, the movie is touted to be about an officer, who believes encounters are best for punishing criminals. apart from Rajini and Big B, the movie also stars  Fahadh Faasil, Rana Daggubati, Manju Warrier and Rithika Singh in key roles. The movie is set to release on October 10, coinciding with Vijayadashami.